Massively

Marvel Heroes to use Unreal 3 engine

Jef Reahard — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Marvel Heroes

Gazillion Entertainment has announced that it is licensing Epic's Unreal 3 game engine to power the upcoming Marvel Heroes MMO.

The game, informally known as Marvel Universe Online, allows players to step into the shoes of Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-man (among others). Gazillion says the third-party toolset will enable its developers to focus on delivering a high-quality game experience. "We [...] love the flexibility we get from the actor components, which have empowered us to make all kinds of customizations without sacrificing the built-in features of the engine," says Jeff Lind, head of Gazillion's Secret Identity Studios.

Gazillion hasn't mentioned a timeframe for the game's release (heck, there's no official website yet, either), but we'll keep you informed as we hear more.

[Source: Gazillion press release]

Marvel Heroes to use Unreal 3 engine originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wurm Online answers your Epic questions

Matt Daniel — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Wurm Online, News items, Free-to-play

Are you a Wurm Online player looking for a sense of purpose? Well, look no further than the game's Epic servers, which went live today. Not sure what Wurm Epic is? Well, you're in luck once more because over at the game's official site, Code Club CEO Rolf Jansson has posted an FAQ that covers everything you need to know about the new game type.

The basic concept is this: Players both new and old can take a portal from the main game world to the Epic servers. From there, they will be stripped of all their items and skills, though they will retain all gold in their banks. After that, it's the duty of the players to build and defend kingdoms, which in turn further the goals of their gods on the moon of Valrei. Gods, in turn, have the ability to "reshape the world or spawn creature invasions as a result of how well they achieve their goals." For the full, detailed FAQ, head on over to the game's official site.

Wurm Online answers your Epic questions originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lord of the Rings Online dev diary outlines Epic Story design

Matt Daniel — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries

Lord of the Rings Online fans, we know you've all probably been quite busy adventuring through Isengard, but perhaps it's time you take a break. We've got just the thing for you to read while you relax, too. Light up some pipe-weed and have a seat as Turbine's Jeff Libby takes you on a tour of the design of Rise of Isengard's epic questline.

Libby expounds on the "T-Factor," or the Tolkien Factor, which governs the design of the game and the Epic Story in particular. In essence, the iconic characters and locations from Tolkien lore are said to have a higher T-Factor, and the devs aim for the Epic Story to have a particularly high T-Factor. The devs also introduced phasing with Rise of Isengard, which allows the environment to change based on players' actions. For the full, spiffy details on Rise of Isengard's Epic Story, head on over to the official dev diary.

Lord of the Rings Online dev diary outlines Epic Story design originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wurm's epic cluster coming October 28th

Jef Reahard — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Wurm Online, News items, Sandbox

Onetwofree's latest news blurb features some good news for fans of the the firm's long-running Wurm Online sandbox MMO. The game's new epic cluster is officially set to debut on October 28th, and lead developer Rolf Jansson is among those psyched about the launch date. "The epic code is something I've been working on for several years, and it feels really good to finally release it," he says.

Epic's aim is to "provide the players with a full circle of purpose and something really big to strive for," according to the Wurm website. The cluster features warring gods duking it out on the moon of Valrei, and players who complete missions (and multi-mission arcs called scenarios) will set dramatic events in motion.

What kinds of dramatic events? The release mentions terraforming events tied to volcanoes as well as the chance for players to become demigods and possibly even full deities complete with their own religion and a stake in the celestial battle royal.

Wurm's epic cluster coming October 28th originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What makes you feel epic?

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events, in-game, Endgame, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Virtual worlds, Miscellaneous

On a very basic level, MMOs are all about trying to make the player and the player's character feel epic in some way. You're supposed to feel big and important, like you're making a difference in the world. But there are a lot of games that offer a lot of different paths to epicness, and while one player might want to be an Ascended fighting against rifts in, well, RIFT, other players feel more epic by being an influential farmer in Star Wars Galaxies.

Maybe you feel epic banding together with a huge group of people to defeat an endgame raid. Maybe you feel epic working your way through small-group content with your closest companions. Maybe it's PvP, or crafting, or something else entirely. Whatever your game of choice, today we ask you -- what makes you feel epic? What sort of experiences make you feel really important in the game world around you?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. Please be advised that there's no need to make a joke about anyone's genitals on today's Daily Grind. (We see that one coming.)

The Daily Grind: What makes you feel epic? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All you ever wanted to know about Rift's gear and were not afraid to ask

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, RIFT, Community Q&A

While some players may possess the tact not to come right out and say it to a dev's face, when an upcoming MMO is being discussed there's always the inner voice shouting, "What about my loots? Is the gear pimpin' or what?"

Forget zones and races and dynamic events -- today at Ten Ton Hammer, the crowd finally got the Rift: Planes of Telara dev team to open up about the outfits that constitute a bulk of the rewards of the game. In this reader Q&A, Game System Designer Drew Clowery tackled numerous questions about Rift's gear. Rift will launch with 48 armor set models -- each boasting a number of variants and texture options -- but will not initially offer armor set bonuses.

Veteran MMO gamers will feel at home with Rift's armor system, which is restricted by class (warriors will be able to wear heavier armor than rogues, for example) and can be bound on pickup or equip. Loot comes in one of four levels of rarity -- common, uncommon, rare and epic -- based on its utility and difficulty to attain. Crafted gear will be competitive (and apparently customizable) to dropped gear. And finally, Rift will not launch with an appearance system that replaces the look of worn gear with cosmetic items.

Clowery feels that the team has struck a good balance between loot being useful and being a barrier: "Loot is an important part of our game, and so it has to have an important impact upon the characters. That said, it's not completely overwhelming... We don't design encounters to be gear checks. We design them to see if you can get together and do this."

All you ever wanted to know about Rift's gear and were not afraid to ask originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take a Dynasty Warriors Online beta key, or we'll send Lu Bu to camp your gate

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Historical, New titles, Giveaways

Look at that man and his fancy beard. Do you want a piece of that? Do you, punk?

Lu Bu (and our good friends at Aeria Games, but mostly Lu Bu) has given us 2,500 beta keys for Dynasty Warriors Online that we're giving to you guys! Now you too can step into the shoes of a Three Kingdoms officer and fight the good fight against thousands of nameless soldiers who will inevitably die at your feet! Huzzah!

If you've never played a Dynasty Warriors title before, let us sum it up for you. You take control of an officer in the military, specialize in some sort of neat, exotic weapon, and then win entire battles by yourself. It's the ultimate game of one versus 1,000, and the one person usually comes out triumphant. Epic battles are epic.

But now since it's online, you'll be doing the same thing with friends! So if you want a key then look no further than after the break.

Continue reading Take a Dynasty Warriors Online beta key, or we'll send Lu Bu to camp your gate

Take a Dynasty Warriors Online beta key, or we'll send Lu Bu to camp your gate originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Speaking Episode 100: The state of MMOs with Richard Garriott

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Opinion, Humor, Massively Interviews, Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 100 marks an epic milestone with an epic episode! Lord British himself joins Shawn and Rubi for some chat on the past, present and future of MMOs. Topics include everything from the early days of Ultima Online to the possible reincarnation of Tabula Rasa and beyond.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to shawn AT massively DOT com. Maybe we'll read your letter on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:

Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 100: The state of MMOs with Richard Garriott

Massively Speaking Episode 100: The state of MMOs with Richard Garriott originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Secret of the Goblin Mine' update to hit Runes of Magic next week

William Dobson — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

Frogster has dropped some information about the next update for Runes of Magic. The best part about the news? You won't even have to wait a whole week until the patch is released. The update is titled Secret of the Goblin Mine and is focused around a new solo adventure mini-game called -- you guessed it -- the Goblin Mine. Inside there are three tasks to complete with a time limit of 30 minutes. Players will be dressed up as goblins for the duration of the mini-game. The area will only be accessible once a day (and dying will forfeit the chance to beat it) but the victorious should be well-rewarded:

Those who succeed, receive rare armor recipes and handcrafted objects from the treasure chests at the end of the dungeon. There are also two new titles to reward particularly diligent Goblin hunters, one of which being 'Goblin Hero.'

The update will also bring an epic weapon quest series and the plant cultivating system we first heard of a few months ago. There's a preview video for the Goblin Mine available on the RoM official site, to whet your appetite before the patch goes live on the 28th of July.

'Secret of the Goblin Mine' update to hit Runes of Magic next week originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: The Darkfall prophecies pt. 2

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Darkfall, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

The double-edged sword to this is that the player is going to require a time investment. It's going to take more than stats and big numbers to win battles in these parts, and those things take time to learn. Knowing the environments, knowing how to gauge enemies, and knowing where to go in case of emergency are going to be things that are learned through use and not by giant pointing arrows or help boxes.

But, when you do learn them, you'll probably find that you'll enjoy this game more than other games on the market. Once again, talk to any EVE player who's ever killed another player or destroyed a player-owned station, or done anything of note. They'll talk excitedly and smile the entire time they tell you the story.

Epic is more than just purple text, it's a philosophy

The number one reason to get your hands on Darkfall seems to be the environment itself. Exploration is finally a viable option, as exploring can lead you to some amazing discoveries and treasures. Cities seem to be well designed and crafted from the limited view we've been presented with. And, of course, some of the scenes are amazingly gorgeous and worthy of a fantasy novel.

All of this is heightened by the tension that an ambush can happen at any moment. Things could go from blissfully calm to deadly in a heartbeat. Player action is the root of the game, and not an incidental item left outside of the menu. The design is set up so that players drive what the game has to offer, a page taken directly from EVE Online's book of plays.

Games should stop telling their players that things are epic, and instead make players feel like things are epic. Darkfall seems to understand this, and incorporates it into as many aspects of their design as possible.

So, what's the final word?

Even with all of these good things in store, even with the looks we have of the game, I'm going to be bluntly honest. Darkfall's hype is bigger than it's bite. We're not looking at the savior of MMOs or anything like that. Players are going to walk away feeling disappointed not because Darkfall is a bad game, but because they may not understand what they're getting into.

Darkfall will be a good, solid game that will follow up on amazing concepts, but those concepts are not made for the general population of players. Let me stress that this is not a bad thing. Darkfall will certainly have a home amongst the well made games of our time. But players who are buying into the hype and not researching what they're getting into may find that this may not be the game for them.

Players with backgrounds in Lineage II, EVE Online, and Ultima Online will find things to love here. But players with more modern MMO experience, like World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings Online, may find that the game world is too harsh and unforgiving.

But if you can get through that harshness and stick it out, you're going to find experiences in this game that you will be completely unable to find in other games. You will walk away from Darkfall with tales to tell your friends, I guarantee it.

Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who is interested, yet cautious, about Darkfall Online. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's over running Epic Loot For All! with his insane friends. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com.

Anti-Aliased: The Darkfall prophecies pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: The Darkfall prophecies

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Darkfall, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

Darkfall. Everyone talks about it. Our mailboxes get flooded with requests about it. Comments regarding the game are both frothingly energetic and intensely angry. Just writing a piece about it can get a writer wacked.

So, let me paint a giant target on my back, cover myself in delicious meat, and walk right into the lion's den of MMOs. This column is dedicated to Darkfall's gameplay mechanics; presenting an analysis of what we know so far from released beta tester announcements and gameplay footage. This is, by no means, a comprehensive analysis of everything Darkfall has to offer. This is just one man's opinion column at work, looking at the ups and downs of what Darkfall might bring to the table.

I'm doing all of this to answer one eerily simple yet dastardly complex question: Can Darkfall live up to the hype around it?

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: The Darkfall prophecies

Anti-Aliased: The Darkfall prophecies originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa introduces Epic instances

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Endgame, Tabula Rasa

As announced in today's Feedback Friday, the Tabula Rasa team has been working on a way to present low-level instances in what could be considered a "hard mode" of sorts. The first of these is the Caves of Donn instance which now has an Epic version, accessible through the CELLAR Arena.

This Epic Caves of Donn instance has Epic versions of the Caretakers, Technicians, Soldiers and the brand new Ravagers and Seekers created for the Back-to-Earth campaign. This instance is repeatable, allowing players to eventually gain all rewards in addition to the XP, Prestige and Mimeomech. Admittedly, the developers report that the instance doesn't have as much polish as they'd like, but considering the circumstances, we understand.

Tabula Rasa introduces Epic instances originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Professor: Epic drops have epic literary origins

Samuel Axon — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Academic

The conventional game mechanics of today's WoW-like MMORPGs are thousands of years old -- at least dating back to the Ancient Greeks. That's the thesis of Classics professor Roger Travis of the University of Connecticut in an article he wrote for The Escapist, called "Achilles Phat Lewtz."

He compared the excitement he experienced when gaining a rare drop in The Lord of the Rings Online to similar instances in Greek poet Homer's epic war story The Iliad. He also located examples of quests, guilds, character classes, grinding and boss fights in Homer's work. Check out the article; it's insightful and entertaining.

Travis also runs his own blog on the subject of relating games and ancient literary epics called "Living Epic: Video Games in the Ancient World." The various posts there are substantial and fascinating. Give it a look-over.

Professor: Epic drops have epic literary origins originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warhammer Online takes us to epic places

Chris Chester — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Lore, New titles, Warhammer Online

One fair criticism that many observers of Warhammer Online have levied over the year or so is that from the bits and pieces we've been shown of the game, it looks rather unspectacular. Part of this, we think, is that the lighting elements haven't been fully implemented yet, which gives the game a rather flat, uninteresting look about it. The other reason, it is reasonable to surmise, is that many of the game's most grandiose architectural creations simply haven't been put forward.

In a recent trailer, it seems like many of the games more visually stunning elements are being brought to the fore. While we were still overwhelmed with the sheer volume of brown, the scale of the game is much more evident in this video than in past ones, so the Warhammer faithful among the Massively staff have found cause to be cautiously optimistic.

You might disagree, of course, but make sure to check out the new video after the jump.

Continue reading Warhammer Online takes us to epic places

Warhammer Online takes us to epic places originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: It will all be fine in ten minutes

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Asheron's Call, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

Back in the day when a 500 Mhz processor was fast, we were lulled into these weird online universes with multitudes of golden tongued promises. "Play online with thousands of others!", "Make a hero and save detailed and vast worlds!", and, my favorite, "Live in an persistent universe where your actions will have long lasting effects!"

Certainly, two of those promises have come true. Our worlds are traveled by thousands upon thousands of users daily, and the characters we have created are truly the stuff of legends who have saved these vast worlds countless times. But the one thing that has still eluded us all this time... persistence.

The funny thing is, it's not because we can't program or realize persistence in our games. We have the technology and expertise to do that just fine. We don't have persistence because persistence isn't profitable.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: It will all be fine in ten minutes

Anti-Aliased: It will all be fine in ten minutes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flying Lab wants you at their studio to test content

Andrew Russo — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Historical, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Events, in-game, Patches, Quests

Deep within the jungles, there is a fortress abandoned long ago. Surrounded by mystery, something is stirring within the crumbled walls of this once proud structure. It is a player, stuck in a door, and screaming for help! With your assistance, this certainly will not be the case. The new epic mission is ready for testing, and Flying Lab wants you to be there.

Due to the popularity of Pirates of the Burning Sea's first epic mission, a second was sure to follow. Something macabre, supernatural, and dark was on the board when notes for patch 1.5 were released. The mission is now ready for people to jump into and test their skills against something dark and wicked. Players are invited to the Flying Lab studios in Seattle and the only requirement for participating is a level 50 character. Check in for the sessions is between 6:15 and 9:00PM on May 29th, June 2nd, and June 6th. Head on over there and get a one of a kind chance to test the mission at their offices before it goes live.

Flying Lab wants you at their studio to test content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 May 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villain Epics mere lackeys? Not likely

Adrian Bott — Sun, 18 May 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Classes, Lore, Patches, PvE

When the City of Villains Devs first mentioned that the new Villain Epic Archetypes were going to be Soldiers of Arachnos, some players were apprehensive. They didn't see how a mere rank-and-file member of a villainous organization was going to be any fun to play. Arachnos is a stratified, militaristic outfit, and people make villains in order to break the rules, right? So what's the fun in being a uniformed lackey?

As it turns out, the Devs have tackled this head-on in the Epic Villain AT story arc. The key point is that all player villains in CoV so far have been special, because they're Destined Ones, potentially fated to overcome all other villains in a war for ultimate supremacy.

Continue reading Villain Epics mere lackeys? Not likely

Villain Epics mere lackeys? Not likely originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 May 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Glimpse of the Villain Epics

Adrian Bott — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Classes, Patches, PvP, PvE

Issue 12 Beta for CoX is currently in Friends and Family stage and closed to anyone else, but bugs do happen, and one forum poster has accidentally accessed the Villain Epic Archetypes.

He's generously taken plenty of screenshots and thus given us the first real taste of how the VEATs will work. NCSoft haven't objected to his sharing the information with us, but have reminded us that VEATs are still being worked on. So, please remember that this isn't final.

Continue reading First Glimpse of the Villain Epics

First Glimpse of the Villain Epics originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EQII designer Kyle Vall�e interviewed

William Dobson — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Expansions, Interviews, Quests

Over at EQ2Vault, one of EverQuest II's designers Kyle Vallée answered a couple of questions about his work on the game, and Rise of Kunark in particular. Vallée was the designer for three of the epic quests (Shadowknight, Brigand and Ranger) that were introduced in Game Update 42, and also for the Jarsath Wastes area in RoK. These are just some of his larger projects, and he talks about a few of the other things he has done in the interview too.

Aside from his designing, he loves to play the game as well, and his level 80 Brigand, 75 Bruiser and 70 Warden are testament to that fact. When asked if he could tell us anything about the next EQII expansion, we expectedly get nothing -- but we're assured that it will be good! View the whole interview at EQ2Vault.

EQII designer Kyle Vall�e interviewed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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38 Studios goes Unreal

Eli Shayotovich — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items

Gamasutra is reporting that 38 Studios has decided to go with the Epic's Unreal Engine 3 to power their upcoming MMO (codenamed "Copernicus"). A few weeks ago 38 Studios picked BigWorld's technology suite for the back-end of things, so it's no surprise that they would grab the best graphic engine currently available. Whatever MMO "Copernicus" turns out to be (most recent game description says: "an original IP made up of fantastical elements, settings, characters, creatures, rules, and experiences") should at least look really, really good.

38 Studios goes Unreal originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The PC Gaming Alliance is here to save the day

William Dobson — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

Fret not, PC gaming fans. As if in reply to the cries of Peter Molyneux, a new elite task force of industry giants has banded together to save PC gaming, under the banner of the PC Gaming Alliance. The group, which officially announced its existence at a GDC08 press conference, is comprised of some of the biggest names in the business, a mix of game development, OEM, and hardware companies: Activision, Epic, Microsoft, Dell, Alienware, Intel, Nvidia, AMD, Acer, and Gateway.

Randy Stude of Intel is the fearless leader of the PCGA, and spoke of their strategy in bringing PC gaming to the attention of consumers: "One of our main major objectives is to provide one voice on the PC gaming market. There's no one source that says 'hey this is where the PC market is going'. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are always calling their market share -- we're going to call our market through this group." As well as their "united front" in promoting the PC as a gaming platform, the mix of companies within the PCGA plan to work closely together to share important and useful statistics, and to find solutions to issues like phishing, cheating and piracy.

[Via Develop]

The PC Gaming Alliance is here to save the day originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Molyneux laments the state of PC gaming, blames WoW and The Sims

William Dobson — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items

Gamesindustry.biz has posted an article that features comments from outspoken game designer Peter Molyneux, and his thoughts on the current state of PC gaming -- and he's not awfully happy. The primary causes for his concern are the two enormous PC successes, World of Warcraft and The Sims. While the remarkable sales for these games should mean that new people are brought to PC gaming, he felt that they may be taking too much of the pie: "You've got The Sims and World of Warcraft sucking all the air out of the PC market. It's just incredible."

Molyneux also called to question the casual gaming market on the PC. He admitted that some of the earlier successful casual games such as Peggle were all fine and dandy, but as of late the trend for casual-game developers has been to look at what's already doing well and simply re-brand it with a total lack of innovation. Rock star game designer "CliffyB" of Epic Games also recently voiced his opinions on PC gaming, saying that it is in "disarray" and that his studio will focus on console games for the time being.

Molyneux laments the state of PC gaming, blames WoW and The Sims originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EQ2 GU42 to include epic cloaks for tradeskillers

William Dobson — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:29:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest II, Patches, Crafting

Crafting fans rejoice, for it's not just the combat classes that will be getting epic rewards when EverQuest II receives its next major patch, Game Update 42. EQ2 Traders Corner has the scoop on some crafter-specific cloaks that will also be introduced with the update, and we're treated to an interesting picture of bits and pieces of each of them.

As noted at EQ2TC, you can be fairly confident that top-and-center will be for Provisioners, but the rest of them would be open for interpretation at this point. Also up in the air is how exactly these will be obtained. One can only imagine some incredible crafting tasks will be required in order to obtain one of these beauties.

EQ2 GU42 to include epic cloaks for tradeskillers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why Fantasy, and not Science Fiction, Part Eleventy-Billion

Akela Talamasca — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Neocron 2, Culture, Game mechanics, Lore, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Tabula Rasa

As my compadre Eli writes here, there is reasoning available that Fantasy MMOs have flourished due to there being a greater preponderance of Fantasy titles, in various media, upon which to draw inspiration to sustain an MMO. The lack of substantive Science Fiction titles of the time, therefore, leads to the correlating dearth of such MMOs. However, this argument only mentions in passing what I think is the more crucial element, which is this:

Fantasy titles are about the Hero's Journey, or the Epic. Science Fiction titles are about exploration of ideas. One of these story types makes for better adaptation to immersive gameplay. Guess which?

Now, I will back up a bit and acknowledge that as a blanket statement, what I said does not (and should not be considered to) cover every Fantasy or Science Fiction title everywhere. Clearly, Star Wars is the most well-known Epic SF story, but then again, Lucas based the plot almost entirely on Joseph Campbell's monomyth, which was itself formulated around the epic myths and stories of history. And perhaps one of the finest Fantasy titles ever written, John Crowley's Little, Big, uses Fantasy tropes to examine the idea of the complexity of human relationships, rather than one character's journey to overcome evil. But having made those concessions, let me make my case.

Continue reading Why Fantasy, and not Science Fiction, Part Eleventy-Billion

Why Fantasy, and not Science Fiction, Part Eleventy-Billion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bruce Ferguson on EQII's Epic Weapon quests

William Dobson — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Interviews, Quests

Like many EverQuest II players, you may have been disappointed to learn that the Epic quests were not being released alongside the Rise of Kunark expansion as was originally planned. Now-former senior producer for EQII Scott Hartsman let the community know that this was due to the San Diego fires, but Clockwork Gamer recently had an interview with Hartsman's successor Bruce Ferguson who was able to tell us a little more about the Epic quests.

Among other things, we find out that the Epic quests should be released together, as opposed to be rolled out for different classes at different times. They will all be weapons (no shields, armor or anything like that) and most of the effects on these weapons will be unique to the Epics. Ferguson also says that Game Update 42 will introduce a feature that lets you display items in your house without changing them into something else, by putting them in a display case.

Follow the related story link to read the full interview at Clockwork Gamer.

Bruce Ferguson on EQII's Epic Weapon quests originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Dec 2007 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell announces new epicly geeky WoW laptop

Chris Chester — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:48:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, MMO industry, News items

When Dell started dropping hints a few weeks ago that World of Warcraft players simply weren't prepared for some epic announcement they had planned for December, the more easily manipulated among us immediately assumed that it must have had something to do with a Dell advertising cross-over for the anxiously anticipated Wrath of the Lich King expansion. And of course, the cynical folks retorted that it was probably just a lot of hullabaloo about a new laptop or something.

When we checked our inboxes this morning, we found out the cynics had it! Dell has announced a new WoW-ified version of its XPS M1730 notebooks. These things go far, far beyond being simply a "WoW notebook" however, as Dell has gone all out to create a gamer dreambox. Sporting an Intel Core Duo at 2.2ghz, 2 gigs of ram, a GeForce 8700M, and a hearty 17" screen, the real allure of the M1730 is its custom case, which can be tailored to your faction preference with Horde and Alliance version. It also comes with a Beta Club key card (giving you access to all future WoW betas), a pre-installed retail copy of Burning Crusade with all the updates, a WoW-themed backpack and a host of other goodies like a behind-the-scenes DVD, a soundtrack, novels, strategy guides, some CCG cards, and more.

All for the low, low starting price of $4500! That's a lot of dough for those kind of specs, but just look at the thing, it's gorgeous! Rumor is we've got one of these floating around the Massively/WoW Insider offices, so we'll let you know if the thing is as pretty as it looks... and if it's worth it!

Gallery: Dell XPS M1730

Dell announces new epicly geeky WoW laptop originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AcroGames using Unreal Engine in new online game

Samuel Axon — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

AcroGames, an upstart Korean game development company, has licensed Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for a new game. Epic told Gamasutra that the new game is an online title for the PC. There are lots of different kinds of online titles, but AcroGames is partly comprised of former Lineage II team members, so it's a good, educated guess to suggest that the new title is an MMO. Also, Lineage II was developed using the previous Unreal Engine iteration.

Epic VP Jay Wilbur was quoted in Gamasutra, saying: "AcroGames is a promising team comprised of top talent and we look forward to working with them. We are committed to supporting the Asian game market with best of breed development tools, and our agreement with AcroGames marks a significant achievement in this effort."

In an interview published just yesterday, Epic's Mark Rein described the language-barrier-related challenges Epic is having with supporting its engine in non-English speaking countries (specifically Japan, in that article). One wonders if they'll run into the same troubles when working with a Korean studio.

AcroGames using Unreal Engine in new online game originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Witness the power of this fully armed and operational SWG update

Samuel Axon — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:47:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Expansions, Patches, News items, Star Wars Galaxies

Despite its rocky past, Star Wars Galaxies still has a solid base of players who crave new content. To meet the demand, SOE has been releasing major updates every couple of months. It's been a longer wait than usual since the last Chapter, which went live way back in May.

Now Chapter 7 has finally hit the streets. Is it worth the delay? Read the release notes and come to your own conclusions. The quick of it is: new epic encounter instances, a new town where high-level players can congregate in preparation for said encounters, and over 90 "collections" for the patient, OCD gamer.

Oh, and RPG Vault's Jonric interviewed LucasArts Associate Producer Tim Temmerman about the update yesterday; be sure and glance over that for some more insight. Of course, if you're a Star Wars Galaxies player you can just log in and play the thing yourself.

Witness the power of this fully armed and operational SWG update originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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